Local

WATERBURY -- Two school head custodians have been placed on paid leave and police are investigating after allegations were raised related to time cards.

Robert Dooley, a maintainer II at Wilby High School, and Edward Kirley, a maintainer II at North End Middle School, were put on paid leave Sept. 23 as officials launched an investigation into "time clock irregularities," said Paul Guidone, chief operating officer and chief of staff for city schools.

Guidone would not discuss the allegations. A complaint was made to the city's Human Resources Department, sparking an initial investigation, he said.

That probe turned up enough information that the men were put on paid leave and a more thorough internal investigation was launched, he said.

Police were advised and are conducting a separate investigation.

Attempts to reach Dooley and Kirley through the city's Blue Collar Union were unsuccessful. Union President Mark Carlson said he would inform the two of a newspaper request to interview them if he sees them before the next regularly scheduled union meeting.

He declined an offer to take down a reporter's telephone number.

The schools' internal investigation is being conducted by human resources generalist Scott Morgan and staff from the School Inspectors Office. Guidone said he expects the investigation to last two to three weeks.

It has been more than three years since maintenance staff got into hot water for an alleged timecard violation.

In April 2010, Kennedy High School head custodian Solomon Goodman was arrested, then fired, under allegations he had a subordinate punch his time clock while he was working a second job at B.J.'s Wholesale Club.

A month later, school maintainer Victorio Rinaldi was accused of punching Goodman's timecard and put on a six-day unpaid suspension. The punishment was later reduced by two days during a hearing.

Guidone on Monday said the schools are now looking to modernize the time card "punch-in" system for custodial staff and paraprofessionals. That work began earlier this year, independent of the recently alleged "irregularities," Guidone said.

He expects the new system to be in place before the start of next school year.

" Come NOVEMBER we will have the opportunity to clean House but this is Waterbury where there are 55,000 Registered Voters and the vast Majority of these Useless Creatures will sit Home and do NOTHING.How many Military Servicemen gave their Life and Limb fighting for Our Freedom in order to protect Our Rights. How these "No Vote" individuals can look in the Mirror baffles me.To the people who do Vote, clean House this November and don't Vote for ANY Incumbent and tell your Family and Friends to do the same.It's time to try and save this City and we the Voter have the Power to do that and if we don't we will continue are ride to the bottom and we are not to far from that now. "

" The city a few years back hired 2 supervisors to make sure things like this don't happen. Mike Bosco and Gene Machia who has since retired in his place is a temp supervisor well connected to Mr. D'Agostino. This temp spends most of his day driving around the school inspector.With that said I believe these supervisors are as much at fault for allowing this as it is these custodians. BTW this still goes on at other complexes in thew city. "

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